December’s Geminids are known for being the strongest meteor shower of the year, generating 75 visible meteors per hour in a rural and moonless sky. But the best meteor shower to watch each year in the Northern Hemisphere? That title goes to the Perseids, because they peak on warm summer nights each August and deliver roughly 50 visible meteors per hour under the same conditions.
Each year, the Perseids appear to radiate out from the constellation Perseus, which is how the shower gets its name. But the bright streaks of light we see on Earth are actually coming from the trail of debris the Comet Swift-Tuttle leaves behind as we cross through its path. When the comet’s debris—or meteoroids—enter Earth’s atmosphere, they heat up, leaving a bright streak of light across the sky.
Here’s how to catch the show in August 2024.
When does the Perseid meteor shower peak in 2024?
According to EarthSky, the Perseid meteor shower peak is predicted for the night of Monday, August 12, through the predawn hours of Tuesday, August 13, when Earth makes its way through the densest cloud of debris from the comet.
The moon will be 44 percent full on the peak night of the Perseids, so dark skies will be harder to find. EarthSky says the moon will set around 1 a.m. local time, so the darkest skies will be in the very early morning. Seek out rural areas with little to no light pollution from humans to gain a better view.
Earth starts passing through the Comet Swift-Tuttle’s dust cloud on July 14 and will continue to do so until September 1, so you can try viewing the meteors the nights before and after the peak night as well.
Where to watch the Perseid meteor shower?
You can see the Perseids from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere where the skies are clear the night of August 12. For the best views, you’ll want to be somewhere with little to no light pollution, so you’ll need to get out of the city and to a more remote location.
The weather in Joshua Tree National Park, which is known for its stargazing, is typically clear in August. Check AccuWeather for stargazing conditions in the week leading up to the meteor shower; up to 40 percent cloud cover is considered good enough for stargazing.
Northwestern Nevada’s Massacre Rim International Dark Sky Sanctuary, one of the 11 certified International Dark Sky Sanctuaries in the United States, is also a safe bet for good weather. As with Joshua Tree, check a week ahead of time whether clear skies are expected at Massacre Rim on the night of August 12.
While not as remote as dark sky sanctuaries, there are also many more Dark Sky Parks in the United States, which are publicly or privately owned spaces that have “exceptional or distinguished” dark skies. One of our favorites is Headlands International Dark Sky Park at the tip of Michigan’s mitten. Encompassing 600 acres of old-growth forest on the shores of Lake Michigan, the park is free to visit every day of the year. Track the cloud cover forecast on AccuWeather a week or two ahead of your planned visit.
You’ll find many popular national and state parks on the full list of Dark Sky Parks. The scattered thunderstorms that are fairly typical in August throughout the eastern part of the United States usually make it harder to see the meteor shower the farther east you go.
The Perseid meteor shower can be seen in many places in the Northern Hemisphere, including here over the Black Sea in Bulgaria.
Photo by Jasmine_K/Shutterstock
Do you need any special gear to watch the Perseids?
You won’t need a telescope, since the Perseids are bright enough to see with the naked eye. However, NASA recommends giving yourself about 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark, so you’ll want to have something comfortable to sit on while you acclimate.
A reclining camp chair can help prevent a sore neck the next day, a packable puffy blanket will keep things cozy for those stargazing in more mountainous areas, and a headlamp with a red-light setting helps illuminate the path to your stargazing spot without introducing unwanted light to the area. Here are some of our favorite gear picks for each of those scenarios:
- Buy now: Nemo Stargaze Reclining Camp Chair, $250, rei.com
- Buy now: Rumpl Nanoloft Travel Blanket, from $85, rumpl.com
- Buy now: Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp, $50, rei.com
When is the next major meteor shower in 2024 after the Perseids?
We hate to be the bearers of bad news but, according to the American Meteor Society, visibility for the remaining meteor showers of 2024 will be poor. The next major meteor shower—the Orionids—peaks the evening of October 20, through the predawn hours of October 21, but the moon will be 83 percent full. During the Southern Taurids shower peak, November 4 into November 5, 2024, the moon will only be 11 percent full, but this shower “rarely produces more than five shower members per hour.” December once again sees the Geminids—with a full moon. Still, according to the American Meteor Society, “If your skies are clear and transparent, you can still see many bright meteors by facing a direction with the moon at your back.”
>> Read Next: 9 Incredible U.S. National Parks for Stargazing
This article was originally published in 2020 and most recently updated on July 11, 2024, with current information.
